Several years ago, Stephen Majewski heard “Snow on High Ground,” an instrumental piece by Nightnoise, composed by Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Primarily a solo piano composition, the song inspired him to enroll at the New Jersey School of Music for a year before beginning to compose his own pieces while self-studying the piano.

The result is TAMARAC. Inspired by a beautiful area in New Jersey where Majewski lives, the album is his musical interpretation of a typical summer day in Tamarac. The solo piano pieces blend folk melodies with classical motifs, evoking a tranquil, pastoral, reflective atmosphere.

Instrumental and soundtrack music have always been a favorite of Majewski’s -– from John Williams and Maury Laws (best known as the composer for the Rankin-Bass television specials such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "The Year Without A Santa Claus," and "The Hobbit.") to Enya and George Winston, the pianist he has studied the most since 2002.

"All contemporary solo pianists are indebted to George Winston," Majewski says. "Without him, there wouldn’t even be a contemporary instrumental music genre."

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